A Yamanaka's Trait System

A sweeping sandstorm rolled across the ancient city of Rōran, built from heavy, stacked stone blocks.

At the heart of the city stood the Queen's residence, noticeably taller than the other buildings.

Dressed in a patchwork linen robe, with delicate and graceful features, Sēramu carefully calculated the city's recent expenditures and consumption on a piece of animal hide using a crude charcoal pencil.

Suddenly, a faint murmuring—only audible to her—resounded from the Ryūmyaku.

She tensed, her eyes faintly glowing with a violet hue. Moments later, the tight expression on her face melted away like snow under the sun, replaced by a gentle, serene smile.

♪Sand, wind may rage proud blossoming, 

Bright sun dance in flowers and never will it die.

The golden light inherited through time,

To the realm where darkness shatters,

Blossoms of destined fate.♪

Her soft, melodic voice carried clearly across much of the ancient city of Rōran.

Due to the particularly fierce sandstorm today, the citizens, resting at home, quietly listened to their queen's gentle singing. Faint smiles appeared on their faces as well.

They didn't know when the prophecy contained in the lyrics would come true. But they could feel that their queen was in an especially good mood today.

Like before, her song was filled with deep love and longing for this land—but today, it also carried an unhidden joy and anticipation.

Their queen, who exhausted herself for their sake...

May she always be this happy!

Outside Rōran, in the desert, a figure looked toward the city standing alone in the sands.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

He did not disturb the beloved and revered Queen of Rōran. Turning away, he vanished into the vast sea of sand.

---

"Kill them~!"

"Don't let their bugs get close!"

"Ah~ help..."

"What is that thing?! Retreat! Quickly, retreat!"

"Help! Help me!"

Killing and battle—this was the dominant theme of the Warring States period of the shinobi world.

Powerful ninja and clans inheriting jutsu had, at some point, become mere weapons of the nobles and daimyos.

The nobles saw ordinary people as property to generate profits, and land as symbols of status and wealth. Their insatiable greed drove them to pit ninja clans against one another constantly. To protect their interests, to seize others' property and land.

"This power..." High in the sky, suspended thousands of meters up using Sage Mode's flight ability, Kei gazed down at the battlefield, filled with emotion.

Perhaps it was the frequent battles of this era—clans clashed constantly, with small fights every few days and life-or-death struggles every few more.

Though the adult ninja's use and development of chakra were somewhat rough due to the era's limitations, their combat capabilities were undeniably formidable.

After watching several skirmishes below, Kei stimulated the Yachihoko seal on his forearm using his chakra. Locating Hikari's position, he accelerated toward her.

Thanks to the ample Ryūmyaku energy gathered within him, even though he didn't belong to this era and was far from the Ryūmyaku's core, he could still stay here for about a month.

According to the time-travel device's settings, when he returned after a month, only a single minute would have passed in his original timeline.

A month of free time amidst his busy life—how could he not relax and enjoy it?

---

In the Uchiha clan dungeon, a dark cell was covered in various sealing symbols.

Hikari, who had been crouching in a corner hugging her knees, looked up in confusion toward the direction she had just sensed. That feeling, it was definitely the Yachihoko mark that only she possessed.

But why did it feel... connected?

Both sides could draw chakra from each other remotely, control each other's bodies, and sense each other's locations...

This mark that couldn't kill the enemy, seemingly useless... Had she carved it?

When? Was it a genjutsu used by the enemy?

No, no one could use genjutsu on her. Then... was this a new technique the enemy had developed to kill her?

"First time meeting, how should I say hello?" A stranger's voice echoed in her mind.

A soul projection with a radiant smile and dressed in strange clothes appeared in Hikari's consciousness, tracing the connection of the Yachihoko seal.

"!!!!"

A powerful sense of dread surged in her heart.

An intense killing intent burst from Hikari's body, startling the two Uchiha clan members guarding the dungeon so badly that cold sweat drenched their backs.

CLANG!

"What the hell are you doing?! Don't tell me you don't want to eat today!" One of the Uchiha guards, angry at himself for being frightened by what he considered a mere weapon, gave the cell door a vicious kick.

Without thinking, he whipped his baton at the small figure curled up in the corner—Hikari.

Smack—

Suddenly, Hikari raised her head.

Her eyes glowed with the scarlet brilliance of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Her right hand moved like lightning, catching the whip, neutralizing its force, and wrapping it tightly around her wrist.

The chakra-sealing shackles within her body rapidly crumbled under the overwhelming torrent of chakra flowing from afar. A surge of chakra exploded from her wrist, and with a sharp pull, the guard holding the whip was violently slammed into the cell door.

In the next instant, a scarred hand reached through the bars. Fingers like blades, chakra concentrated at the tips—pierced straight through the guard's neck!

Splurt—

Blood sprayed across the dungeon.

Hikari's Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotated as she turned her gaze to the other guard, now frozen in terror.

With near-instantaneous genjutsu from her Sharingan, the man's pupils dilated, and his hands wrapped tightly around his own throat.

Thud—Thud—

Two bodies collapsed to the ground. The dim dungeon once again fell into silence.

Hikari stood there, her expression indifferent. She didn't spare a glance at the two fading life forces of her fallen clan members. In her mind, two soul projections—one large, one small—stood facing each other.

She silently observed the stranger who had just forcefully taken control of her body.

A soul power so immense she could hardly resist it. Chakra far more vast and terrifying than anyone she had ever encountered.

This guy... I can't defeat him.

"How should I explain... that I came to save you?" Kei scratched his head, wondering if he should use genjutsu to show Hikari her own memories from the future.

As for those two guards he had just killed... Since Hikari still existed in the future, and history hadn't changed significantly, he figured it was fine to do as he pleased, right?

"..."

Hikari's soul silently approached Kei's spirit.

After gazing at him for a moment, she reached out and took his hand. Though she didn't say a word, her gesture clearly conveyed her thoughts.

Creak—

The heavy dungeon door opened. Bright sunlight poured into the previously dark cell.

Hikari looked up at the figure standing at the entrance, identical to the one in her mind. Feeling the life-filled warmth of his chakra, she instinctively stepped a little closer to the door.